Stepladder



Feb. 17, 1925.

A. YORDY STBPLADDER Filed Feb. 1, 1925 gimme L Am; 26rd Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES AMOS YORDY, OF SHANNON, ILLINOIS.

STEIPLADDER.

Application filed February 1, 1923.

'abling said legs or braces to assume various positions of angular ad ustment 1n order to take care of weight stresses that would otherwise serve to overturn the ladder when in use.

A. further object of the invention is to provide an improved ball and socket connection between the stepladder proper and the supplemental side legs or braces and wherein the socket members or connections are so formed that they will automatically lock the legs or braces in certain adjusted positions.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing my invention in its preferred embodiment,

Figure 2 is a view in front elevation,

Figure 3 is a view in cross section taken on line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a detail View of the ball and socket connection between the supplemental legs or braces being partly in cross section and partly in elevation.

Figure 5 is a detailed view showing the shank of the ball member seated in one of the slots of the socket.

In describing my invention more in detail, and 11 designate the front and rear portions of a stepladder of conventional form which are connected substantially intermediate their ends by a flexible connection 12 and at their upper ends by a relative broad and elongated top portion 13. It is to be observed, in reference to Figure 2, that the ends of the top member 13 overhang the side of both the front and rear portions 10 and 11 so as to provide facilities for the attachment thereto of the supplemental legs or braces. At a point spaced from their lower ends the side members of the front portion 10 of the stepladder are provided with metallic clips 14 and 15 which preferably consist of base portions 16 that are secured to the step ladder proper and which have resilient end por- Serial No. 616,347.

tions 17 bent to lie substantially parallel to the base portion. Upon reference to Figure 3 it will be noted that the end portions 17 are curved slightly in general extent so as to provide a better grip on the members which are engaged therewith such as will be subsequently more fully described.

The socket members 18 have their base portions 19 secured to the imder side of the overhanging end portions of the top member 13 by suitable means such as shown at 20. The socket members also have concentric recesses 21 opened to the lower end thereof and the lowermost portions of the wall of the recesses 21 are formed by spaced arms 22 that provide recesses between them such as indicated by the numeral 23.

The side legs or braces 24 are provided at their upper ends with projecting brackets 25 secured thereto as indicated at 26. Each bracket terminates in a constricted shank portion 27 carrying a ball member 28, the latter being adapted to co-operate with a. socket 18. In assembling the device, the ball members 28 of the brackets 25 are positioned in the recesses 21 of the sockets 18 after which the arms 22 are set about the ball so as to prevent their removal. lVhen the parts are in this position it will be observed that when the supplemental legs or braces are moved at different angular positions with respect to the socket 18 that the shanks 27 will seat in certain of the recesses to receive certain of the arms 29 and thus hold the legs or braces in certain adjusted positions. It is also deemed advisable to connect the supplemental legs or braces 24-: with the stepladder proper by swivel connection 29.

When the stepladder proper is arranged in position such as shown in Figures 1 and 2 the supplemental legs or braces 24 can be moved to any desired position relative thereto so as to take up stress in any position and prevent the stepladder from tilting or falling sideways from the uneven distribution of stress. lVhen the supplemental side legs or braces are moved to an angular position with respect to the stepladder proper and the shanks 27 seat in the recesses 23 between the arms 22 they will be held rigid and movement will be prevented while work is being performed on the ladder. It will also be noted that when the ladder is folded the supplemental side legs or braces can be moved into engage- From the foregoing it.*isu believed"that' the advantages and novel features of my invention will" be readily underst0od' and' therefore further detail, description thereof is not deemed necessary.

What is claimed is:

Af stepladder. comprising a; top member, a from member rigid-with. the top .member and a rear. member hingedly connected 'to the top. member, a plate secured to. the underside of thetopmember at each end, a socketrportion rigid with and depending from each plate, each.socketfbeing open at its lower endand being provided with spaced slots formed in its side wall and extending upwardly from' the open end, a pair ofside, legs, a bracket projecting from one end of each leg and terminating in a ball-bonfined in one of said sockets, that portionof the bracket between the ball and tlie'adjacent end'of' the leg being reduced in width to provide a narrow neck adapted to enter, a. selected slot of' the socket when the leg is adjusted to. a predetermined angular positibn;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature: i

AMOS YORD'Y; 

